The Coastal Health District of Georgia serves the counties of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long & McIntosh
On Friday, March 24th, at 5 p.m., join Cobb & Douglas Public Health for a virtual wellness event and learn more about PrEP, a daily medication that can greatly reduce your risk of HIV infection.
The Virtual Wellness Event is open to all, and is geared toward women in Georgia. Topics will include self-care, sexual wellness and health, dating, and PrEP.
Login information is in the graphic below.
Reckitt, one of the main formula manufacturers in the U.S., is recalling two batches of Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula because of possible cross-contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria. To date, no illnesses or adverse events have been reported.
ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula in 12.9 oz containers was manufactured between August 2022 and September 2022. The batches in question can be identified by the number on the bottom of the can. Recalled product batches are ZL2HZF and ZL2HZZ, both with a UPC code of 300871214415 and a “Use by Date” of “1 Mar 2024.” The products were distributed through retail stores in the U.S., Guam, and Puerto Rico.
This formula recall affects about 2,200 Georgia WIC families. WIC participants and caregivers of infants who have purchased this product should contact Reckitt at 1-800-479-0551 or by email at consumer.relations@rb.com.
Products identified as part of this recall may be returned to a WIC clinic for replacement benefits. Participants also have the option to return recalled containers of formula to the place of purchase for an exchange or refund. The alternative available for GA WIC participants is the 20.9 oz size of the Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant formula, which was not impacted by the voluntary recall.
Parents and caregivers of infants who have used this product and are concerned about the health of their child should contact their pediatrician or healthcare provider. To date, Reckitt/Mead Johnson indicates the batches in question have tested negative for Cronobacter and other bacteria.
For more information, visit dph.georgia.gov/WIC or consumer.relations@rb.com.
A CDC study published today provides further evidence that Tdap vaccination during pregnancy helps protect newborns from whooping cough during their first two months of life, when they are most vulnerable to the disease.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is highly contagious and can be especially serious for infants who aren’t old enough to be vaccinated. CDC scientists tracked reports of infant whooping cough cases between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2019. They found an association between reduced rates of whooping cough in newborns younger than two months old and Tdap vaccination during pregnancy. These findings further support CDC’s recommendation for Tdap vaccination during weeks 27–36 of each pregnancy.
“Getting Tdap during pregnancy offers infants the best protection before they are old enough to receive their whooping cough vaccines,” said Dr. José Romero, Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “This protection is critical because those first few months are when infants are most likely to have serious complications, be hospitalized or die if they get whooping cough.”
The new study is the first time researchers have looked at U.S. population level trends in infant whooping cough cases since this maternal vaccination strategy began in 2011. Newborn whooping cough rates decreased significantly since the introduction of maternal Tdap vaccination. When given during the third trimester of pregnancy, Tdap vaccination prevents more than three in four cases of whooping cough in infants younger than two months old.
“Everyone who is pregnant should feel confident in knowing that the Tdap vaccine is safe and effective,” said Dr. Linda Eckert, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ liaison to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. “Knowing that Tdap vaccination during pregnancy protects nine in 10 babies from being hospitalized with whooping cough, I strongly recommend this vaccine to all my pregnant patients for their peace of mind and for their family’s health and well-being.”
Women should get vaccinated during the third trimester of each pregnancy to boost their antibodies and pass those antibodies on to their infants. All people in close contact with infants should be up to date with their whooping cough vaccines.
CDC and partners are working to increase Tdap vaccination during pregnancy, which dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the CDC whooping cough website for more information.
This February, the Coastal Health District wants to help you love your heart, and that starts with knowing your blood pressure and blood glucose numbers. The Coastal Health District will be offering free blood pressure and blood glucose screenings at the following locations, with no appointment needed.
“Most people can’t tell if their blood pressure or glucose levels are high,” says Mecca Mason, a community health worker for the Coastal Health District who is leading the heart healthy campaign. “The only way to know is to get screened. Thankfully, the screenings are quick and easy, and once you know your numbers, we can help you come up with a plan for protecting your heart.”
These numbers matter. High blood pressure can lead to serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke. A high blood glucose level can lead to heart disease.
These problems may be more common than you think. According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. One person dies every 34 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease.
But this is not an unwinnable fight. “There are small adjustments you can make in your daily life that will have a big impact on your heart health,” says Mason. “That’s where we come in. We have information, resources, and programs to help people in our community live longer, healthier lives.”
You can learn about these heart healthy programs at the screening events in February or on our Chronic Disease Prevention page.
Public health in coastal Georgia has a new leader. Bonzo Reddick, MD, has been named health director of the 8-county Coastal Health District. Dr. Reddick steps into the public health leadership role following the retirement of Dr. Lawton Davis.
Dr. Reddick is no stranger to the community health needs of the coastal area. For the past 5 years, Dr. Reddick led an outpatient practice at the J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care Center in Savannah, a federally qualified health center and designated Healthcare for the Homeless site. Dr. Reddick served on the Health Equity Council for the Georgia Department of Public Health and was on the medical advisory committees for the Savannah public school system and for the Mayor’s Office during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Reddick received his B.S. degree from Morehouse College and his medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. After graduating from medical school in 2002, he left Georgia for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he completed a family medicine residency, two faculty development fellowships, and a master’s degree in public health (M.P.H.). After graduating from residency in 2005, he practiced full-spectrum family medicine – including delivering babies and inpatient medicine – for 17 years.
Dr. Reddick was named Top Family Physician in Savannah by South Magazine in 2016 & 2019, and he was recently named the Family Physician of the Year by the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians for 2021. He has published numerous articles in scientific and medical journals, and he recently finished authoring a book on achieving health equity.
Dr. Reddick will lead the Coastal Health District from offices in Savannah and Brunswick, overseeing all district and county public health programs in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh Counties.
Monday, Jan. 16, our offices and health departments will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
However, our 2 COVID testing drive-through sites in Chatham and Liberty will be open Monday. We have one site in West Chatham County at 210 Technology Circle and one in Hinesville at James Brown Park. Both sites offer free PCR testing, no appointment required. Get more information about testing.
We’ll be back to normal operations on Tuesday.
Beginning Monday, Dec. 19, young children will have access to stronger protection against COVID-19 in the Coastal Health District. The FDA and CDC have approved the reformulated Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for ages 6 months and older. Previously, the updated vaccines were only available for ages 5 and up.
Appointments for the bivalent vaccines are available in all 8 counties of the Coastal Health District and can be scheduled online at chdcovidvax.org or by calling your local health department directly.
The reformulated vaccines are called “bivalent” because they target more than one variant of COVID. The vaccines target the original strain of the COVID-19 virus plus two omicron subvariants, which means better protection against more recent versions of the virus.
The bivalent vaccine manufactured by Pfizer is authorized as a booster dose for individuals aged 5 and older, and as a third dose for individuals aged 6 months – 4 years. The bivalent vaccine by Moderna is authorized as a booster dose for individuals 6 months of age and older.
For more information about the COVID vaccines offered by the health department in your county, visit chdcovidvax.org. Parents with questions about COVID vaccines for children are encouraged to talk to their child’s pediatrician or to their local health department.
UPDATE: All slots have been filled.
There are plenty of great reasons to get your COVID vaccines and boosters, but here’s another one – the Coastal Health District is offering $100 gift card incentives at a special vaccination event in December.
The vaccine clinic will be held December 13th from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Howard Coffin Park, 1402 Sonny Miller Way in Brunswick. Appointments are limited and are required for this event. See appointment scheduling options below.
Pfizer primary vaccines will be available for ages 6 months and older, and bivalent booster vaccines for ages 5 and up. Anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive vaccination.
Booster guidelines are different depending on your age and your underlying health conditions, but the CDC has an interactive tool that can help you determine your eligibility for a booster dose.
–> Check Booster Dose Eligibility
All slots have been filled.
Please note: the $100 Visa gift card incentive only applies to vaccines given at the Howard Coffin Park clinic on Dec. 13th.
COVID booster shots were reformulated earlier this year to better match some of the more recent subvariants of the coronavirus. The CDC recommends that everyone age five and older get an updated booster dose at least 2 months after their last COVID-19 shot—either since their last booster dose, or since completing their primary series.
Immunity can wane over time, and booster doses help strengthen and extend your body’s defenses against COVID-19. COVID vaccines and boosters have been very effective at reducing severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.
Due to the potential for severe weather associated with Tropical Storm Nicole, the Camden, Glynn, and Liberty County Health Departments will suspend operations Thursday, November 10. At this time, all other county health departments and Coastal Health District offices plan to be open and operational Thursday.
All clinics and offices will be closed Friday, November 11, in observance of Veteran’s Day.
The Coastal Health District Chronic Disease Prevention Program will hold blood glucose screening events at health departments throughout the month of November, which is Diabetes Awareness Month. The screenings are free and no appointment is necessary. Those getting screened will also receive information about the Diabetes Prevention Program and upcoming “Eating Healthy over the Holidays” virtual sessions.
The following screening events have been scheduled:
Bryan County Health Department, 430 Ledford Street, Pembroke
Tuesday, November 8
8- 11 a.m.
Glynn County Health Department, 2747 Fourth Street, Brunswick
Wednesday, November 9
1 – 4 p.m.
Camden County Health Department, 905 Dilworth Street, St. Marys
Thursday, November 10
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
McIntosh County Health Department, 1335 Ga Hwy. 17, Townsend
Thursday, December 1
1 – 4 p.m.
Liberty County Health Department, 1113 E. Oglethorpe Hwy., Hinesville
Monday, November 14
1 – 4 p.m.
Bryan County Health Department, 66 Capt. Matthew Freeman Drive, Richmond Hill
Tuesday, November 15
8 – 11 a.m.
Effingham County Health Department, 802 Hwy. 119 South, Springfield
Thursday, November 17
1 – 4 p.m.
Long County Health Department, 584 N. Macon Street, Ludowici
Thursday, November 17
2 – 5 p.m.
Chatham County Health Department, 1395 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah
Tuesday, November22
1 – 4 p.m.
Diabetes affects more than 30 million people in the United States and more than one out of every three adults have prediabetes. People with prediabetes have blood glucose levels higher than normal and are more likely to get type 2 diabetes. Making modest lifestyle changes can help lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. The Coastal Health District Chronic Disease Prevention Program provides the tools our residents need to help combat diseases like diabetes that can lead to serious health complications.
More information about prediabetes and diabetes, please visit our website at coastalhealthdistrict.org/diabetes.
